Dear Editor:
RE: Public health addresses vaccine hesitancy in county, June 24.
How disturbing to learn that Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) is stalking its citizens through “heat maps,” and analyzing vaccine booking data so they know where to concentrate their efforts to coerce people into vaccinating.
I guess we should be thankful that they chose to keep their information confidential, unlike Toronto Public Health, lest they invite all the “vaccine champions,” with both good and bad intentions, to descend on these unsuspecting people.
If they can understand that some people are unsure because these are a new type of vaccine and they would rather see how things go over the next year or so, why not let them? We are given gut instincts for a reason, and when it comes to something that’s permanent and has risks, like injecting something into our bodies, listening to that gut instinct is paramount to anything public health has to say about it.
We have known vaccines were coming since March 2020, when every leader in every nation repeated the same mantra for the cameras: We will not get back to normal until we have a vaccine. We’ve all had ample time to think about it, read about it, and decide what’s right for us.
Maybe WDGPH should concentrate on the people who are having trouble booking appointments, and let those with a wait-and-see approach do what feels right to them. After all, it is they, and not public health, who have to live with the consequences of their decision.
Amanda Philip,
Amaranth
Editor’s note: No one is being “coerced” into being vaccinated. Anyone with concerns about COVID-19 vaccines should consult their physician.